General Studies – 1

The question expects us to highlight the various facets of dance in India both classical dances as well as folk dances.

Structure of the answer

Introduction – Explain that dance has always been considered ad a complete art and has had close association with god and worship. The earliest examples of dance in India can be traced back to the dancing pictures in Bhimbetka caves and bronze statue of a dancing girl in Mohenjodaro.

Body

Discuss the various texts on dance in India such as Bharatmuni’s Natyashashtra is a famous treatise on Natya which includes dance as well. Other works are like Nandikeshwar’s AbhinayaDarpan.

Highlight that . Sangeet Natak Academy confers “classical” status on 8 dances. Highlight that Dance forms in India were kept alive by devadasis amd later revived by various artists.

Explain that Dance has two aspects: Tandava and Lasya. Tandava emphasizes on body movements and masculinity while Lasya focusses on grace and abhinaya, so more feminine. Dances were scripted around 9 rasas or emotions like heroism, love, anger, etc. Themes were derived from mythology like Radha-Krishna, Shiva-Parvati, etc. Many Muslim kings also added their elements and learnt traditional dance like Nawab Wajid Ali of Oudh.

Explain about the other facets of dance forms in India and the folk dance of India – many folk dances are also prevalent amongst tribes. Kalbelia of Rajasthan and Chhau of Bihar, Bengal are on the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Hertitage.

Conclusion – Emphasize on India’s rich history of dance.

Topic- salient aspects of Art Forms, Literature and Architecture from ancient to modern times.

Discuss- this is an all-encompassing directive which mandates us to write in detail about the key demand of the question. we also have to discuss about the related and important aspects of the question in order to bring out a complete picture of the issue in hand.

Key demand of the question.

The question wants us to write in detail about the role and contribution of Abanindranath Tagore towards Indian culture and art development. We have to write in detail about his works, themes and lifetime contributions.

Structure of the answer

Introduction- write a few introductory lines about the Abanindranath Tagore. E.g

Body-

Discuss in points the contribution of Abanindranath Tagore towards Indian art and culture. E.g

Abanindranath Tagore, the nephew of Rabindranath Tagore, was one of the most prominent artists of India.

He was the first major supporter of swadeshi values in Indian art. Abanindranath first created the ‘Indian Society of Oriental Art’ and later went on to establish Bengal school of art.

His sole aim for establishing the school was to counter the English influence on Indian artists.

He did that by incorporating Indian elements in his works and achieved success when British art institutions gave in and accepted to teach and propagate his style of works in their organizations.

His idea of modernizing Mughal and Rajput paintings eventually gave rise to modern Indian painting, which took birth at his Bengal school of art.

Abanindranath is also regarded as a proficient and accomplished writer. Most of his literary works were meant for children.

Some of his books like ‘BudoAngla’, ‘Khirer Putul’ and ‘Rajkahini’ are best examples of Bengali children’s literature.

He was very much influenced by the Mughal School of painting as well as Whistler’s Aestheticism.

In his later works, Abanindranath started integrating Chinese and Japanese calligraphic traditions into his style.

The intention behind this move was to construct an amalgamation of the modern pan-Asian artistic tradition and the common elements of Eastern artistic and spiritual culture.

Ganesh Janani, Bharat Mata, The Victory of Buddha are some of his prominent and famous paintings etc.

Conclusion- based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue

General Studies – 2

This article highlights India’s relations with Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia and analyzes whether the approach of India is working. The article also highlights the risks ingrained in India’s strategy. The article provides a very good perspective on India’s tightrope diplomacy in West Asia.

Key demand of the question

The question expects us to bring out India’s relations with the major nations of West Asia and how India has so far managed to be less affected by regional and global politics in managing its relations with west Asian nations. The article expects us to bring out the risks ingrained in India’s strategy and discuss the way forward.

Directive word

Discuss – This is an all-encompassing directive – you have to debate on paper by going through the details of the issues concerned by examining each one of them. You have to give reasons for both for and against arguments

Structure of the answer

Introduction – briefly highlight the profile of west Asian nations and that over the past few years, the course of India’s relations with Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) suggests that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India finally appears to be moving away from its traditional “balancing” approach to West Asia.

Body

Discuss India’s relations with each of the three significant West Asian nations whose politics are often at odds with each other. Explain how India has been maintaining a balancing approach so far. Give a brief historical perspective on the nature of India’s relations in the current times.

Explain about the various push and pull factors in the region and how India has been negotiating with so many factors.

Thereafter, highlight the pros and cons of India’s strategy and discuss the way forward for India

Conclusion – Give a fair and balanced view on the effectiveness of India’s strategy and what needs to be done.

General Studies – 3

Topic– Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

Conforming to the demands of the startup companies the Central government has decided to moderate the tax levied on angel investment in the country. In this context it is important to discuss the advantages as well as any limitations associated with the move.

Directive word

Critically analyze- here we have to examine methodically the structure or nature of the topic by separating it into component parts, and present them as a whole in a summary. based on our discussion we have to form a concluding opinion on the issue.

Key demand of the question.

The question wants us to dig deep into the recent move of the government to moderate the angel tax and bring out its positive implications as well as negative implications/ insufficiencies and then form an opinion thereupon.

Structure of the answer

Introduction– write a few introductory lines about the recent move of the government to moderate angel tax. E.g The Central govt has recently notified new rules pertaining to angel tax which, will exempt registered start-ups of a specified size from the tax and any scrutiny to do with its applicability.

Body-

Discuss how it will be beneficial for startups and the economy in general. E.g

investments of up to ₹25 crore in an eligible company will be exempt from the angel tax.

In addition, investments made by a listed company of a networth of at least ₹100 crore or a turnover of at least ₹250 crore would also be exempt.

Investments made by non-residents will also be exempt.

This clarification would help in avoiding potentially significant tax challenges faced by startups and allow them to focus on their core activities.

Discuss what are the limitations of the move. E.g

There was a request from the industry to include Category II Alternate Investment Funds as well in the exclusion list, which has unfortunately not been considered favourably.

The applicability of Section 68 of the I-T Act still remained and that they would take it up with the tax department.

Companies wishing to make use of the latest exemption, for instance, will first need to be registered with the government as start-ups.

To be classified as one, a company needs to attest to conditions such as that it has not invested in any land unrelated to the business, vehicles worth over ₹10 lakh, or jewellery. These requirements, while probably aimed to prevent money- laundering, can lead to considerable bureaucratic delays and rent-seeking etc.

Conclusion- based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue

Topic– Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment.

Inflation targeting is a vital task in an economy, especially a developing country like India where inflation is not only highly variable but also has major implications for the vast poor sections of the society. In this context it is important to discuss whether India needs to measure inflation more accurately.

Directive word

Comment- here we have to express our knowledge and understanding of the issue and form an overall opinion thereupon.

Key demand of the question.

The question wants us to express our knowledge and understanding of the inflation measurement in India and bring out why there is a need to make such measurement more accurately.

Structure of the answer

Introduction- write a few introductory lines about the inflation and its measurement in India. E.g Inflation dynamics are complex and depend to a large extent on expectations of inflation. Central banks the world over, including the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), factor in such inflationary expectations when carrying out inflation assessment for purposes of monetary policy formulation.

The source of such forecasts—whether from financial analysts, professional forecasters, general public or from businesses and trade unions actively engaged in wage negotiations—is important in credible monetary policy formulation.

Inflationary expectations, however, are heterogenous across these different groups.

While the expectations of financial analysts and professional forecasters lie within the central bank’s target range, those of businesses, trade unions and households lie consistently above the upper end of the target range.

Less affluent households exhibit less than rational forecasts and overestimate inflation outcomes probably because they often face higher inflation than their more affluent counterparts.

Similarly, businesses and trade unions tend to be more backward-looking than analysts and form their expectations based on the growth rate of wages, which normally exceeds the average inflation rate

Conclusion– based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.

General Studies – 4

Topic- Contributions of moral thinkers and philosophers from India and world.

Explain-here we have to make something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it.

Key demand of the question.

The question wants us to explain in detail about the meaning of the above statement as per our own understanding. We have to bring out the virtues of wisdom, compassion and courage and explain why they are important.

Structure of the answer

Introduction– write a few introductory lines about the Confucius. E.g Confucius was an influential Chinese philosopher, teacher and political figure who lived from 551 BCE until 479 BCE. He was known for his popular teachings and quotes on education and social interaction.

Body-

Explain in points as to what do you understand by the statement. E.g

Wisdom can be defined as understanding the true nature of things and this is inseparable from understanding their purpose.

To understand the true nature of something one must know why it exists and consequently wisdom and purpose are closely linked.

Developing courage means becoming fearless without being reckless. Courage is necessary to begin new endeavors as well as for being persistent in seeing them through.

Compassion in the Buddhist tradition means to end suffering and to give joy.

Acts of kindness, understanding for the needs of others, a supportive and collaborative attitude all result from love and have a profound impact on the concerned person as well as the society as a whole

Happiness cannot be achieved without compassion and love; the two are closely linked in their aim to overcome selfishness and to serve happiness etc.

Conclusion– based on your discussion, form a fair and a balanced conclusion on the given issue.

Topic– Public/Civil service values and Ethics in Public administration: Status and problems; ethical concerns and dilemmas in government and private institutions

The article talks about the the poor record of the government when it comes to data transparency and how it goes against the principles of good governance that we read about it paper 4. The question touches upon topics of paper 2 and 4.

Key demand of the question

The question expects us to provide our view on the importance of making available public information and how withholding or playing with it does not bode well for governance and democracy. The question expects us to substantiate our views with such instances and provide a fair and balanced view on the ethics of such measures.

Directive word

Critically comment – When you are asked to comment, you have to pick main points and give your ‘opinion’ on them based on evidences or arguments stemming from your wide reading. Your opinion may be for or against, but you must back your argument with evidences. When ‘critically’ is suffixed or prefixed to a directive, all you need to do is look at the good and bad of something and give a fair judgement.

Structure of the answer

Introduction – Highlight that off late data related to GDP, employment etc have raised several debates regarding their authenticity. Highlight that lack of transparency on the part of government and its agencies has cast aspersions on several data critical for economy.

Body

Explain how distorting and/or withholding public information is a blow to principles of good governance and democracy. Highlight why transparency in such matters is important.

Highlight the various instances as discussed in the article where data in public domain has raised questions such as the employment data, GDP data etc and others where routine datasets have not been released.

Critically comment on what it indicates and the impact it will have

Conclusion – Give your view and discuss way forward.

NOTE:

We are giving hints for each question. Please use your creativity and originality to come up with answers that are unique to you. But do so without deviating from core demand of each question. Ultimately you should use your reason and judgement to write your own answer.